Hi there and welcome to my blog!
I’m an architectural designer from Cambridge, UK and I work with homeowners to improve, update, extend and refurbish their homes. I’ve been running my own firm for over 10 years and have wider architectural experience in London, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur for the 20 years before that. Somewhere in the middle I had a spell as an art director for Film and TV which taught me, amongst other things, to really drill down into what we mean when we describe something. Let me give you an example:
As a Stand-by Art Director, one of my jobs was to break down each scene of the script to identify the props and particular elements needed as part of the set or location, as described by the writer. Something that seems pretty self explanatory at first can usually be interpreted any number of ways.
Like this:
27- EXT. HELEN’S HOUSE – DAY
Adam approaches the house carrying a bunch of flowers. He knocks on the door…
Easy, I can see we will need a bunch of flowers that day (and matching bunches for the continuity shots before and/or after). So what does that bunch of flowers look like in your mind? Do you think it’s the same as the writer’s, or director’s or mine? Did Adam pick them along the way? Are they from the garage round the corner or are they a break-the-bank-bunch of exotic beauties? The script doesn’t say.
Perhaps the overall script is going to help me and I can make some educated guesses. Perhaps the last thing the director wants to think about 3 months before the shoot is what kind of flowers the actor is bringing up the garden path. In that case I might bide my time and focus on some bigger issues first, choose my moment, maybe check whether this is a detail they are worried about and then prepare a couple of options for the day – budget allowing.
The day of the shoot comes around, it’s the last shot of the day, it’s pouring with rain and we are losing the light. I’ve checked with the director, they are not at all bothered about the flowers but the actor playing Adam has his own ideas. Help! I hadn’t thought to ask him about it.
There are some practical considerations I need to consider for this bunch of flowers ahead of time as well. The wardrobe department will not thank me for stamens that drop yellow pollen on white shirts. The sound department will curse any crinkly wrapping and don’t forget those continuity issues. I remember working on a budget film where the actor and director had decided to throw a bunch of dried flowers, which were set dressing, into a kitchen sink in anger. After a few takes these ‘flowers’ were no more than sticks and I found myself running down a South London High Street towards Woolworths mouthing, “It’s a dried flower emergency!” to anyone who got in my way!
What does this have to do with designing a house?
Well, I go through the same process when a client is telling me what they want. If they tell me they want something ‘modern’ for example, I need to check what their idea of ‘modern’ is. At some point we will need to decide details like what the skirting and architraves look like but my client may never have noticed the skirting in a room before (or be aware just how many options there are). I need to filter and time when questions are asked and decisions are made and I must also make sure everyone with an interest is consulted. Along the way I carry the practical, buildable and budget considerations in my head and try to drive towards the most successful solution.
It's easy to miss something.
On a recent extension and refurbishment project, halfway into the build, my client asked whether it would be possible to achieve flush skirtings throughout the house, in the new and old areas. Firstly, let me say that if your budget is the same as a Hollywood blockbuster then just about anything is possible. If not, you will need to juggle your priorities.
I explained the extent of extra work and materials that would be needed to achieve the flush skirtings which had not been specified nor included in the agreed contract sum. I also expressed my concern about the quality of finish we would be able to achieve and the differences between his 1930s British house and the contemporary new builds in the images he was showing me. I suggested some other ways of achieving a crisp finish and in the end we found a compromise but it was a shame we had not identified it as an issue, together, in the design process.
My aim with this blog is to help you to identify what is important for you about your house and home. I want to explore the function of a house and the elements that make it. This might seem obvious at first but knowing the basics will help make sense of what the builder or designer tell you. I hope I can shed some light on the design process, help you understand architects’ drawings, as well as the permissions and legalities required for working on your house. I’ll try to identify some common pitfalls – look out for the one about ‘why everything costs more than I expected’ . Ultimately, I want you to feel confident and in control of whatever building project you undertake.
Comments